After narrowing by just one point from a playoff entry last year, the Buffalo Sabers will enter the 2023-2024 season with confidence. Owen Power thinks big.
In an interview Wednesday with website NHL.com, the young defenseman assured his team has the resources it needs to climb to the top of the Bettman rankings. The 20-year-old Ontario native has every right to dream, but we shouldn’t put the reins on the horse. After all, the Sabers haven’t made the playoffs in 12 years.
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“I really think we can win the cup. “So that’s the attitude that everybody has and the attitude that we have to have,” he said. It starts with improving every day and so we will be in a good position at the end of next season.
Confidence can be a double-edged sword, but it’s important to recognize that Buffalo is showing a new face. Young Power, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson are growing up fast but still lack playoff experience.
The Sabers are also part of the Atlantean section, which is considered one of the wildest. To participate in the series, teams like the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning or Florida Panthers must be dethroned.
“It’s going to be fun,” Power said. Anytime you have the opportunity to play against the best teams in the league and compete for a place in the playoffs, it’s fun. I’m excited and I know the entire team is up to the challenge.”
A model in front of him
In his first season, the first pick of the 2021 draft performed very well with a 35-point crop and a +10 differential. He finished second to Matty Beniers and Stuart Skinner in the Calder Trophy race.
We could well imagine Power taking a similar development trajectory to Dahlin, another full-back picked in the front row. The 23-year-old Swede has confirmed his place among the best in his field and, despite his young age, serves as a role model for his teammates.
“It’s been great,” Power said of working with Dahlin. He’s someone I’ve been watching and trying to copy to add weapons to my arsenal. I’m lucky to have a man like him who went through the same thing just before me.
In his fifth season in the National League, Dahlin tied for fifth among defensemen with 73 points.